Vacation Underground
by Kerist
Summary: Jareth has been kidnapped, and that means bad news for Underground. It's up to the Goblin King to free himself, since the kidnapper is keeping his friend Seth busy. But when the option is death or marriage, is it better to die?
1. Unexpected Visitor

Jareth stared at the child before him, incredulous. The kid was maybe eight years old, more likely seven, with a skinny frame. Her olive skin was marred only by scabs on her elbows and knees, earned from climbing one too many trees. She was wearing obvious Abovegrounder clothes: jean shorts, sneakers, and a printed t-shirt. She'd just made a wish to the goblins, and Jareth was trying to find a loophole out of it.

"I'll just give him back," he said, holding the creature out in his hands. The little girl glared at the Goblin King and shook her head. Jareth felt beads of sweat pop out on his forehead. "Look, I do not want to have to be with this thing for any longer," he said, not in the mood to sugarcoat things. His left eye was already twitching, and he knew it wouldn't end for hours, days if he didn't get rid of this girl. "I'll give you the crystal," he pleaded, thrusting the creature in his hands further away from him. It squealed with some emotion and made frantic motions with its ears.

"I want the crystal," the girl said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I don't want him back."

Jareth didn't like where this was heading. "But you have to want him back!"

"If I wanted him, why would I have wished him away?" the girl asked, raising her eyebrows.

This was so degrading. Jareth kneeled and tried to press the creature into the girl's hands, but she took a step backwards. "Little girl," he said, gritting his teeth. What was her name again? Ah, well, it didn't matter. "I am not keeping this thing. I will throw it in the Bog of Stench if you don't take it back -- and I assume you don't want that to happen?" he said in a sweet tone, raising his eyebrows. "You _do _know what the Bog of Stench is, don't you?" he asked, glancing again at the thing in his hands.

"Yes," the little girl said. "And that's where _that _thing belongs. Now give me my present!"

Biting down on his tongue, Jareth snapped up a crystal and handed it to the girl. She smiled, turned the thing over in her hands, and looked around her tiny room. Jareth stood up again, his hair brushing a bouquet of balloons. Sighing, he looked at the little thing in his hands, and suspected that even at the bottom of the Bog of Eternal Stench, the Furby would not stop making those horrible noises.

**

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**

Jareth strode through the castle, still wiping Furby dust off on his vest. He shuddered occasionally, convinced that the mechanical toy was going to be in his nightmares later. "Maam?" he called, looking around. "Maam where the hell are you?" He scowled, and stomped up a long staircase towards his throne room.

The past two days had not been normal, exactly. A year ago Jareth's friend, Seth, had been sentenced to Museship after he was brought to trial for grand theft. Two days ago Seth had been wished away to the Labyrinth by Karleigh, the human girl he was Muse to. While Karleigh was trying to win Seth back, Seth's ex-girlfriend, Lady Rachelle, had been trying to break them up -- and nearly succeeded, until someone or something wiped her brain and left her with the mental state of a six-year-old.

Now Seth and Karleigh were off on a vacation, and Jareth was alone. "Maam!" he howled, kicking the door to his throne room open. The usual gaggle of goblins filled the room, but the one he was looking for -- of course -- wasn't there. "Where is Maam?" Jareth asked, lifting a goblin up by its collar.

"I'm right here," a squat goblin in a dress answered. "And you have a guest." She pointed up.

For the first time Jareth noticed a creature rising above the goblins in the room. The man was wearing a simple white peasant shirt, brown slacks, and leather boots. His orange hair was tied back into a ponytail. Jareth's eyes narrowed and he stared at the man for a minute, trying to remember where he'd seen him before. The silence between the two Fae made the goblins uncomfortable and most of them quietly snuck out of the room. The others, drunk or stupid, stayed to watch the fun.

Finally Jareth remembered. "Duke Walke," he said. He inclined his head respectfully and cleared his throat. The orange-haired Fae didn't so much as blink. Jareth shifted his weight a little. _I don't have time for this, _the Goblin King thought to himself. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I haven't seen you in years."

"Do you really remember me?" the Duke asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Of course I do…"

**

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**

There was a commotion on the playground. The teachers turned a blind eye while they sat on the merry-go-round, gossiping. They paid no attention to the group of Fae teenagers scrunched into a circle, chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Kids would be kids, after all. They would have to grow up some time.

Gideon Walke stood in the center of the circle. His arms were being held behind his back while Amadeo, an eighth-grader, punched him in the stomach. He closed his eyes and winced as the older boy's fists railed into his small frame. _Oh ye Gods I'm going to die, _he thought. "You think you're so high and mighty!" Amadeo screamed, aiming his fists at Gideon's chin. The sixth-grader groaned in pain and slumped over. Amadeo grabbed Gideon's long orange hair and forced his head up. "You think you're better than the rest of us just because you make good grades. But we all know… you're just sucking up to the teachers. We all know you're no brain. You're just a pretty-boy."

Gideon sucked in a breath through his cracked and bleeding lips. _Oh Gods no He is coming out no please don't let Him come out He always makes trouble please keep Him locked away like he should be!_

Amadeo pulled a silver lighter out of his pocket. "You won't be so pretty when your lovely hair is all gone," he hissed, clicking his thumb along the lighter. First try brought flame. The teens went into an uproar, screeching obscenities in their respective foreign languages. Eris Preparatory School for Boys' uniforms made the crowd blur into long, white streaks for Gideon. His ankle-length robe was scratching his legs, and his vest was making him uncomfortably hot. The laundry staff would have a tough time getting the blood out of all that white cloth. Amadeo started laughing, and spit in Gideon's face. Instantly, Gideon's eyes flickered, suddenly shed a few tears and sharpened. Amadeo didn't take any notice.

"So you think I'm pretty?" Gideon asked, his voice low.

The boy's tone made Amadeo stop laughing. _Fight! Fight! Fight!_ ran in the background, louder and more frenzied now that the action had stopped. The lighter went out, and Amadeo's hand hung limp at his side. Gideon lifted his head and smiled at Amadeo, teeth bloody from the cuts on his lips. "You like boys with orange hair, Amadeo?" He asked softly. "Reminds you of yourself, I bet." Amadeo looked like Gideon, they both had long orange hair, but their eyes were different. Amadeo had one brown eye and one green, Gideon had one blue eye and one violet. But Gideon's skin, under the blood, was a pale white, where Amadeo's was deeply tanned.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Amadeo asked, scowling. "You're different."

Gideon started cackling and wouldn't stop.

"Get on with it!" someone in the crowd yelled. "I'm getting I'm getting," Amadeo yelled back.

He grabbed a fistful of Gideon's hair and twisted it around his long, thin fingers. "You have a pianist's hands," Gideon remarked, still smiling. Amadeo kicked him in the shin, procuring a groan. He chuckled and tried to ignore the silky texture of Gideon's hair. Frustrated, Amadeo hit the lighter, with no success. The strokes of his thumb furiously sped up, and he stared at the silver metal, waiting for flame to come. Gideon smirked. "Why don't you use some magic, Eight Year?" He asked.

"Shut up," Amadeo muttered.

"Bet you can't," Gideon said.

The lighter finally produced flame. Gideon's eyes darted back and forth, his rushing heartbeat inaudible over the screaming crowd. _Some fucking peers these are, _He thought. He jerked back to the moment when heat swam over his cheek. Amadeo was holding the lighter just next to his hair. _All right, it stops now, _Gideon decided.

Flame touched His hair. He jerked his knees up and used the guys holding his arms as leverage to swing his legs higher. With surprising strength His feet shot out and rammed Amadeo in the chest, causing the older boy to drop the lighter. The flame went out in the dust on the ground. Gideon's feet slowly dropped back to earth, and he kept the lighter under his shoe without anyone really noticing. His shoulders ached from the motion, but seeing the shocked look on Amadeo's face was well worth it, even when the boy's lackeys pulled his arms tighter behind his back.

"You…" Amadeo hissed, hands pressed to his chest. He started punching again, aiming for Gideon's face this time.

Behind him, the crowd parted. A swing of his fist split Gideon's cheek wide open, and Amadeo still wasn't done.

A hand spun him around and repaid the favor. His knees gave out and he fell to the ground, cupping his hand over his throbbing jaw. "What the hell…" he muttered, looking up at the two sixth graders standing in front of him.

They hadn't had their teenage growth spurt yet, and pushed maybe a couple inches over five feet. Both of their figures were slim, and they both wore the white robes of the school, untied at the waist, revealing white shirts, vests, and pants. The boy who'd hit Amadeo shook his hand, swinging off drops of blood. "Ew," he muttered. "I hate blood… it's so… messy," he scowled, refusing to soil his uniform by wiping his hand on the pristine cloth. His platinum blonde hair was shoulder-length, and he'd tied it back in a ponytail, but his long bangs still hung over his eyes: one a crystal blue, the other a warm hazel. His skin wasn't tanned but wasn't as pale as Gideon's.

His friend rolled his eyes. "You're really going to have to get over that," he said, bending down to pick Amadeo up by his collar. "Hi," he said, smiling. "Excuse Jareth's entrance. He gets excited sometimes." The midday sunlight glinted off his short black hair, and his eyes, one blue and one green, sparkled. "I've seen you around. You're Amadeo, right?" he asked, tilting his head back as he lifted the older boy higher. "The teachers always talk about you during lunch. You think you're some hotshot, and you terrorize the younger grades."

Jareth leaned on the black-haired boy's shoulder. "Tell him what we found out, Seth," he said. He smiled, revealing bright teeth, and pointed canines.

Seth chuckled. His fingers curled tighter around Amadeo's collar. "We know your little secret, Amadeo Dre," he said, glancing around him. The crowd had finally stopped chanting and was standing in silence, nudging each other and sharing quick looks. Seth looked back at Amadeo. "Hasn't anyone ever wondered how a Fae could get such a deep tan so easily?" he asked, voice raised loud enough for everyone to hear. "It takes my older sister _potions _to get a tan," Seth said, locking eyes with Amadeo. "And somehow I just can't picture you taking potions for something like that, Amadeo," he said. He was silent for a minute before speaking again. "Is it your mother or father who's the werewolf?" he asked.

That was all it took. The crowd jumped back about thirty feet. Seth dropped Amadeo and walked around his sniveling form. Jareth followed suit and together they hauled the unconscious Gideon to the infirmary.

**

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**

"That was years and years ago…" Gideon murmured, sighing. _And I still don't have all my sides under control..._

Jareth tapped the arm of his throne and glanced up at his clock. He had important things to be doing. Letters had to be written, meetings attended, witnesses silenced; he didn't have time to deal with an old classmate. "Why are you here?" he asked Gideon.

Gideon opened his eyes. "To kill you," he said simply.

**

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**

Author's Note: Ooh, I exist. It's only been a little over a month since I promised this. For any who haven't read Innocent Musings, I hope the summary made sense. And for those of you who have, welcome back, and thanks greatly for being patient! Sorry the beginning is blah, it'll get better. I hate beginnings. And endings.


	2. Goblin King Gone

Author's Note: Ah, in case someone new starts reading this, I flip between first person and third person. Third person is for the majority of the characters, first person is for the female lead Karleigh.

**

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**

"Kill me?" Jareth asked. His voice seemed to echo on the walls of the throne room, which suddenly seemed to be miles high and wide. And the goblins had disappeared, too. Convenient of them. "Why would you want to do that, Gideon?" In the folds of his shirt, Jareth began spinning his fingers. He could feel the slivers of smooth glass against his skin shape themselves into a crystal. "Gideon?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. It would only be a little longer for the magic to weave between the threads of glass.

Gideon ran his hand over his face, hoping to get rid of his anxiety. But his mouth stayed dry and the edges of his vision were blurry. He could feel his aggressive side boiling inside of him. The side that got into fights, the side that provoked every beating Gideon had ever received, the side that really wanted to kill Jareth; Gideon referred to it as He. Giving Him a proper name gave Him too much power. "Um…" Gideon licked his lips. He hadn't been able to keep his fighting side from bringing him to the castle beyond the Goblin City, but maybe he could keep it under control for a few critical moments. "Um…"

Jareth palmed the completed crystal and slowly stood up, strolling over to Gideon with a casual an air as he could muster. The orange-haired man was twitching slightly. Jareth regarded him carefully.

Control was slipping farther and farther from Gideon's grasp with every passing second. Dark spots of light flashed in front of his eyes from the mental effort he was exercising. It would be better, he decided, if he just went ahead and fainted. He was just about to pass out when Jareth decided he couldn't wait any longer, and gently pushed the crystal into the back of Gideon's head. It passed, unbroken, under the man's hair and into his skull.

Clearing his throat, Jamnis took a few steps backwards and waited to see how Gideon would react. The reactions to this little trick were always different. Things could get complicated fast, when you were pushing raw magic into someone's mind. Especially when that person had multiple personalities. Too bad Jareth didn't know that.

**

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**

"Disappeared?" Seth asked, looking up from his desk. His reading glasses slid down his nose, and he didn't bother to push them back up. His focus was directed over the frames, at the goblin standing in front of his desk. She was short, of course, and dressed in a plaid dress reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie. Seth assumed that the goblin was female. He leaned back and ran a hand through his short, black hair. "Who are you, again?" he asked the goblin.

A noise that sounded somewhat like a sigh, and somewhat like the thud of a knife into wood, came out of the goblin. She shifted her weight slightly and put her knit bag down. The bag was almost as big as she was. "My name is Maam, Master Seth," she said in a gravely voice. Seth flinched at the old moniker from his childhood, but Maam didn't take a speck of notice. "Master Jareth has disappeared," she said slowly, so her words would come out right. "The other goblins picked me to see you, since we think you might know where he might've gone. Do you?"

Seth gave in to her pleading stare and actually thought about it. He considered Jareth's usual hang-outs, his favorite spots to get away, and the typical locales he wandered off to when he got drunk. But, surely, the goblins would've checked all those places. "I'm guessing no one else knows about this?" he asked, immediately getting a frantic headshake in return. _Of course not, _he thought, sighing. What kingdom of Underground would alert anyone when their monarch went missing? It'd be an invitation to war. War in the Labyrinthine kingdom wasn't pretty, either. No wonder Maam had come all the way out to Edoc, Seth's estate, to ask for his help.

He sighed again. "I honestly don't know," he said.

Maam didn't even blink. She showed no sign of disappointment, if there was any under her weathered exterior. "Thank you anyway, Master Seth," she said, turning around. She puttered across the richly decorated study, done up in maroon and gold. Seth watched her in half-horror and half-amusement. On one hand, his best friend had gone missing. On the other, there was a goblin in his house. In his house! Normally they didn't even leave the suburbs of the Labyrinthine borders. "Be kind, and don't spread the word around," Maam asked as she bowed out of the room.

The sun glinted through one of the large windows in the study. Seth closed his eyes to block out the glare, and took a deep breath while he tried to think. The Goblin King was nowhere to be found. The kingdom where dozens of children disappeared to each year, which was the banishing grounds of fairy criminals, and which acted as a prison for half of Underground, was currently leaderless. This, Seth finally decided, was a Bad Thing.

A quick glance at his papers made him realize he could put them off. During his one year Aboveground, serving Museship under Karleigh, five years had passed in Underground. These tax returns had waited those five long years already, surely they could wait a little longer while Seth investigated this disappearance.

He pushed away from his desk and walked into the hallway, turning right and instantly hitting a staircase. He stepped lightly down the stairs, shuffling through the list of servants that had actually waited these five years for him to return. Mostly maids, a few gardeners, and two cooks. Seth scowled to himself for never hiring spies. He had never needed to, really. Seth (like so many Hollywood actors) did his own spying. Or had done, at least. He was not about to risk jail time on such a small offense as spying. But it left him with no one in his staff to choose for the task.

Hiring out was too risky, he decided. You could never trust rented spies. They were always willing to sell information to the highest bidder.

Seth could feel his fingers start to itch. The thought of sneaking into a house, masking his identity, or, Heaven willing, breaking into a safe… it made his mouth water, so to speak. Perhaps he could return to the dark side of the law, just this once. The risk couldn't be that great, he wasn't _that _out of practice. And if he did get caught, he could always talk his way out of it. Rachelle had hindered that before, that was the only reason he'd gotten convicted. Without her around, he could talk his way out of anything.

A door opened down the hallway, and Seth stopped brusquely. To his amazement, he blushed. He felt like he'd been caught, and could sense the shame washing up from his feet to his heart. A brown head of hair poked out from the door, and was quickly followed by a slender frame clothed in a clean, white cotton tunic and a pair of denim-looking pants. "Karleigh," Seth said, hoping he didn't sound guilty.

She turned around and smiled at him, gray eyes sparkling. "I'm not going to ask why you have women's clothes lying around," she said, looking down at her outfit. Her other one had, unfortunately, had blood splattered all over it. She'd been glad when Seth told her about his stash of extra clothes.

"My sister," Seth explained, smoothing his bangs away from his face. "She vacations here occasionally."

He could see her face fall. "You have a sister," she said, rather stiffly.

"There's a lot you have to learn about me," Seth admitted. "But we have time."

The truly teenage side of Karleigh came out, and she made a huffing noise. "Eleven Underground days. Eleven days isn't even two weeks," she said, shaking her head. "And then I have to go back Aboveground. You won't even come with me. You served your sentence, remember?" They'd gotten the letter from the High Court only hours ago. Karleigh felt more bitter about it than she was willing to admit. She'd convinced herself she wouldn't let Seth's fading from her everyday life upset her.

"I can visit, you know that," Seth said. He started walking down the hallway again. "Come on, we're leaving for Capitol. Do you have your things?"

**

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**

I made a face. "I didn't _bring _anything," I said, trotting after him. Damn, his legs were long. He could slow down a little for those of us under six feet. "How would I have brought anything? It's not like I had a suitcase packed when I wished you away. I didn't even think the Labyrinth was _real._" It was getting hard to keep my voice under control. But at least my eyes were dry. I'd cried too much in the past couple days for my tastes.

Seth stopped abruptly. I didn't, and knocked into him. If he hadn't spun around and grabbed my arms, I would've fallen down. "You're really upset, aren't you?" he asked. His blue eye and green eye flickered slightly. The sight of the two different colors made my stomach drop. It was hard to remember he was a Fae.

I pushed his hands away. "No," I said. I'd planned to elaborate but couldn't think of anything. The look he gave me reminded me of when my father would catch me in a fib. But I just stared at him, careful to keep my face as blank as possible. "Why the sudden change of heart?" I asked, changing the subject. "I thought you wanted to look over some business stuff before we left for the oh-so-creatively-named city."

"Like the United States is any more creatively named," Seth said, rolling his eyes. He started walking again. His speed showed he was oblivious to the fact that I was only five four. "The most important business I have to deal with right now can't be handled from Edoc," he said. _Like hell, _I thought, frowning. He was acting weird. "Besides, I thought you wanted to go shopping."

"Book shopping," I clarified. Even though I was staring at the back of his head, I knew he was smirking. "And you're paying for it," I reminded him. He winced, flinching slightly. Now it was my turn to smirk. We rounded a corner and Seth opened a door, revealing a cobblestone path. The path wound down a grassy hill, and ended at the wheels of an awaiting black carriage. "Wow," I said, startled. The carriage was really nice. "You're filthy rich, aren't you?"

"I'm comfortable," he said casually, walking down the path, slower this time. I could actually keep up with him. We were halfway down when he started talking again. "Did Jareth say anything to you before we left?"

I thought about it for a second. "He said: 'Karleigh, this time has been a pleasure, I'm sure.' That's when you were in the room, Seth. When you left he said: 'If you ever use any of this against me in a fanfiction I will hunt you down and send my goblin minions after you.'" My fake British accent failed to sound anything like the Goblin King, but at least I tried, right?

"I meant," Seth said, "Did he say he was going anywhere?"

"Why?" I asked, startled. "Is he gone?"

Seth stopped in front of the carriage and shrugged. "Driver, take us to Capitol as quickly as possible," he ordered. The man sitting at the front of the carriage nodded and whispered the directions at the two brown-and-white horses hooked up to the carriage. The driver had long, pointy ears, and a tail that looked like a horse's tail. "Ah, it's nothing, Kar," Seth said, turning back to me. He opened the door to the carriage.

"Surprise!" A silky voice said from inside.

I blinked. There was a woman sitting inside the carriage. She had long, black hair that hung in a braid down to her waist. Her eyes were the same colors as Seth's, and their slightly tanned skin tones were the same, too. She was wearing a purple vest, and a purple miniskirt, and she looked good in it. "Ooh, who's the human, Seth?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. When he didn't answer right away she waved a hand and motioned for us to get inside. Seth seemed frozen, so I climbed in first. "Sethy, have you heard about poor Jareth? There was a visitor right before he disappeared, and now they can't find him anywhere!"

I looked pointedly at Seth. He gritted his teeth and climbed into the carriage, slamming the door behind him. "How did you find out about that?" he demanded of the black-haired woman.

She smiled, revealing pearly white teeth. "Sethy, your servants are only there because I kept paying them while you were gone. They tell me everything that happens at Edoc. Now, where do you think Jareth went? Do you think it was those terrible worms again?"

"Sethy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who else knows about this?" Seth asked, ignoring me.

"Oh, there's rumors flying everywhere. But that goblin coming to your house just confirmed everything! Poor Jareth! I wonder if there's going to be a ransom note… do you think the Labyrinth's treasury has enough money in it to pay off a ransom?" She paused and put a finger to her red lips. "I wonder how much they think Jareth's worth. A pound of gold? Maybe two?"

"How many people have you told?" Seth asked, as the carriage jolted forward. I grabbed onto the window railing in the door to keep myself steady. The dirt road was bumpier than it looked.

"Oh, just my girlfriends," the black-haired woman said.

Seth buried his face in his hands. "So all of Underground knows, thanks to my sister and her rumor mill."

**

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Author's Note: Yay, Seth's sister. I love her name, it'll come up next chapter. What is this atom page thing?

**BlueyChan: **Ahh wonderful, I was scared the beginning was stupid. Thanks for the review!

**Fou Fou: **Hehe, my brother has a Furby and it's taken three years for the thing to finally disappear into our basement. Thanks for reviewing!

**WildPixieChild16:** Heh, thank you for the compliment and the review.

**Princess-RainbowRose: **Ya! My front, my front, my front! (Sorry, I couldn't help it) Ooh and I never said who the wedding was between, did I? Mwahaha. Thanks for reviewing!


	3. Special Report

_**The Underground Sun**_

**Goblin King Gone -- And What It Means for Underground**

The Labyrinthine Kingdom has been elevated to the level of Xanadu in recent years. All of Underground knows it as a place of sin and sun. This is where people go to let their hair down, to party, and do other things, without fear of ridicule or repercussions. The Labyrinth itself has a serene beauty often ignored by the raucous partiers, and has been featured in some of Underground's most celebrated works of art. La Cruz showed how stunning a sunrise over the maze can be in his painting _The Sun's Favorite Place, _and Jehanney set his epic poem _The Traveler _within the Labyrinth's sandstone walls.

This kingdom is also a place of danger, however. It serves as a prison for fairy and elf exiles, and everyone knows the goblins have a horrific reputation for a reason. Parents often refer to the Labyrinth as the place bad children are sent to -- and haunting cries within the tunnels here lend truth to the fable. Its king, Jareth (also known as the Goblin King, although he is very much Fae) has managed to keep the hazards in check for the past hundred years, since his father died and passed rule onto him.

According to recent news the perils of this place might be unleashed on Underground. Less than eight hours ago, a subtle change occurred in Underground's landscape: the infamous Goblin King is nowhere to be found. His faithful (and not so faithful) goblin servants are canvassing the Labyrinth, but not a trace of him can be located. The Goblin King has an understated hand in Underground affairs, and has a starring role in the conference at Capitol coming up. Without the knowledge this man possesses, the conference cannot continue.

Essentially, the nobles of Underground are in a panic. Jareth knows more about the High King's plans than the king does -- it's obvious he's getting rather senile as he continues to age more rapidly than a Fae should -- and without Jareth, several important trials in the High Court must be called to a halt. Slowly, little by little, Underground is shutting down. Unfortunately The only thing we can do is wait, and ask: Where has Jareth gone?

If you have any information on this matter, the Capitol Investigators strongly urge you to contact them. We all know how reliable they are, don't we? This reporter suggests any witnesses call up the Labyrinth's watchman, Malferz. Even half-breeds are more competent than the CI these days.

_--- Javelin Reels, investigative reporter_

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**

"Just your girlfriends, huh?" Seth asked, rolling up the newspaper. The article was on the front page, below the fold. It was the first thing he'd seen as they pulled onto the Main Street of Capitol. All around them, people were grabbing up the afternoon editions and Jareth's name was on everyone's lips. "I wanted this _quiet, _Rida," Seth hissed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"It's just an article," Rida said, making a face. "Who cares about old Jareth anyway?"

"The entire dimension, Rida!"

Karleigh was hanging onto Seth's arm. Capitol was flushed with Fae, and since most of the race was about six feet tall, she felt very short and vulnerable at the moment. She didn't really care about the article. It hadn't mentioned the incidents at the Labyrinth before Jareth disappeared, so she wasn't upset. As long as her name stayed out of ink, she was happy. "Come on, let's go," she said, pulling on Seth's sleeve.

"Rida, I'm going to kill you," he hissed, hitting his sister with the rolled-up newspaper.

Rida whimpered and covered her head with her hands. She stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Listen, how was I supposed to know it'd get blabbed to Javelin? I'd never tell her, she's got the loosest lips in Underground." She rubbed the back of her skull where Seth had hit her. She could already feel a bump forming. "Listen, we'll just go down to the newspaper, and we'll talk Javelin into typing up a reprint, all right?" She launched into a brisk walk in the direction of the _Underground Sun's_ headquarters.

"How exactly are we supposed to do that? Javelin _never _gets front page work -- she's not going to give this up," Seth said, hurrying after Rida. He slid his fingers through Karleigh's and pulled the girl in tow.

"Well, I'm guessing you haven't put that body of yours to good use lately--"

"Rida!"

_"Well,"_ she said, huffing. "Javelin appreciates you."

"She wants to get in my pants," Seth snapped. Karleigh's face got very red, and she looked down at the ground while they group continued walking, simmering. Seth pulled the girl against him as a group of rowdy elf children passed by, all staring at the human in their midst. Seth didn't notice, but Karleigh did. She stuck her tongue out at the kids and they all giggled amongst themselves and ran after their teacher. She was beginning to wish, not for the first time, that she'd never come to Underground.

Rida grinned lasciviously. "That's what I meant." She turned a corner and pointed up at a tall building at the end of the street. It had a glass front, and a giant quill pen made of iron in its yard. "There's the _Sun's _building," Rida said, looking over her shoulder. "Javelin's on the eighth floor." She waited and watched her brother closely.

Seth looked suspiciously at the building. "Can't you go?" he asked, frowning. He wasn't too eager to go striding into the headquarters of the _Underground Sun. _It would be front-page news that Jareth's best friend was yelling for reporters to hush up his disappearance, and Seth definitely didn't want that. The situation was already out of hand. He was never going to get to show Karleigh around. Sighing inwardly, he ran his hand through his hair. "Listen," he said. Explaining his reservations to his sister would be a task, all right.

"Aren't you going to teleport us?" Rida asked.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Seth said.

"Oh you never do," his sister muttered. "You're no fun. That's why Rachelle dumped you."

"She _didn't _dump me," Seth protested. "She put me into court and tried to get me the death penalty! For _stealing!"_

Rida narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly serious. "You've done worse," she said darkly.

**

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A cloud moved in front of the sun. I closed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. Rida, who I already found slightly annoying, had said something to make Seth get all dark and broody. I sighed to myself. The magic in Underground made my head feel clogged and foggy. And everyone was staring at me. I shivered and wrapped my arms further around me. The clothes Seth had given me didn't stand out, from what I could see. The other girls who weren't in dresses had on the kind of pants and shirt I did. Of course, the other girls had elfin ears, lupine eyes, hooked claws, and the pointed canines of Fae.

I wondered if this Javelin person was a Fae. I'd had enough of Seth's female companions, really. The last one had tried to kill me. The other was a reporter. I ground my teeth together. Reporters in Aboveground could be absolutely brutal to people. It hadn't even been a day, and from the snatches of the report Seth read aloud, they were already biting into Jareth. It just didn't seem fair.

I pulled on Seth's arm. "Make a decision already. I'm bored."

He glared at me, and I shrunk. I could've left out the bored part, it probably made me sound like an idiot. Maybe that was why he made the decision he did. "Rida, take Karleigh shopping, will you? She needs some clothes." He pushed my hand off his arm and took out his coin purse. I was wounded, and I let it show on my face. Not that it touched Seth any. "Here, take these. It should be enough." He handed the money to his sister, and I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes, he actually rolled his eyes, and bent to kiss me. I turned my face and he ended up laying a wet peck on my cheek. When he pulled back his blue eye was like ice, and his green eye darkened close to black. "Have a good time," he said frigidly.

I waved at him and hurried after Rida, who was a good five inches taller than me and had long legs. "Where're we going?" I asked, panting slightly. It seemed to me like she was jogging.

She grinned. "My favorite store. Seth'll hate it," she said, stopping abruptly. She held out her arm so I wouldn't fall, and hailed down a carriage pulled by two heavy-coated ponies. "He can be such a bastard sometimes," she said, smiling brightly at the footman who opened the door for us. He had narrow, yellow eyes, and hairy arms, and he glared at me while I climbed in. "Close to full moon," Rida whispered to me. "Keep your hands away from his paws," she warned. I immediately jerked my hands into my lap and was very nervous when we pulled away. We could see the footman through the window of the carriage, which didn't have a curtain on it. _Werewolf, _I thought, shivering. Underground certainly had a diverse population.

"Um… I can pick out my own clothes, right?" Not that Rida had bad taste. Her tastes would just never look good on me. I'd look like a teenage hooker, a bad one, if I wore the miniskirt she had on. Plus I didn't have her… um… measurements, and that v-necked vest showed a lot of those measurements.

Rida made a face at the coins in her hand before slipping them into a purse, which she tucked into her… vest. "Sure honey. Just so long as you don't pick anything Seth would like." She seemed determined on this point.

"I don't think it'll be a problem," I said, sighing. I rested my chin in my hands and glanced sideways. The footman was pressed up against the window, and I could see that his ears were pointed, and had tufts of fur on the tips. I tried not to flinch. _I'm the weird one here, _I reminded myself. "Seth says I'm always dressed to scrub floors."

She laughed. "Seth didn't ever hang around _our _servants, then." She had a tiny smirk on her face.

"So… what's this Javelin like?" I asked.

"Jealous?"

"No!" I said, too quickly.

Rida raised her dark, dainty eyebrows. "She's like Jareth in female form," she said, humorless.

_Great._

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Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, I had an AP exam to study for and take. I won't know how I did till the third week of July. Fun.

I already have next chapter planned, so hopefully it won't take too long to write. And there's only **10 days **of school left, whoo-hoo! Summer vacation is just wonderful.

Princess-RainbowRose: Hehe sorry about the wait. You may be wise, taking a second look at your alternate ending. Thanks for reviewing!

BlueyChan: How'd you like Rida? Hehe I just love her name. Thanks for the review!

Moonjava: Thanks for the compliment, and the review!

sych77: Well, I'm only six days off from updating 'now,' that's not that big of a time gap right? Haha thanks for reviewing!


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